Luthee atwood



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER ATWOOD, on NEW warty-7v. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF OILS OBTAINED FROM CbAL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 28,44 8,5 dated May 29,1860.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUTHER Arwoon, of the city and county of New York,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin the Manufacture of Hydrocarbon IlluminatingOils; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of thisspecification, and to the letters of reference thereon.

Thin hydrocarbon oils suitable for illuminating purposes, and such asare now burned in the Deitz, and similar chimney lamps, are usuallyobtained from petroleums or natural oils, and crude oils obtained bydistilling at comparatively low temperatures bituminous coals,bituminous shales, bituminous schists, peat asphaltums,rosin,and thetarry or pitchy residue remaining in the process of manufac turingadamantine or stearine candles. These natural oils and the crude oils,distillates of the above-mentioned and similar substances, it hasheretofore been the practice to distill over in a castiron stillsuitable for such purposes, and to separate and set aside the first orlighter portion of the distillate, or such portion as comes over untilthe temperature in the still rises to about 600 Fahrenheit, for thepurpose of manufacturing into illuminatingoil,with the exception,sometimes, of such exceedingly volatile part as can be steamed offduring the process of manufacture. The lat ter portion of thedistillate,which comes over at an increased temperature, is termed heavyoil. It generally contains visible crystals of paraffine, and hasheretofore been generally manufactured into lubricating-oils andcandles. By repeated simple distillations of the heavy oil a furtherquantity of thin oil has been obtained, the heavy oil remainingcontaining larger proportionate quantities of paraffine. I mention thisin order that it may not be confounded with my process.

My saidinvention consists in a method of treating these heavy oils,parafline, fatty oils and acids, or the crude oils and natural oils fromwhich the heavy oils are produced, as above mentioned, so that the wholeor as much as desired may be converted into thin oil suit able, whenpurified, to burn in lamps.

My process is a practical development, em

vapors and fixed gases from the heavier oilvapors, and continuouscondensation and return of the latter to the sphere of action of theheat until the whole is broken up, or nearly so, or as much as desired,by exposing the eliminated vapors in a chamber or receiver ofconsiderable capacity situate between the point of forming the vapor andthe condenser to a temperature about the boiling-point of the lightervapors and below the boiling-point of the heavier vapors, so that theheavy vapors gradually liquefy and return to be broken up by furtheraction of the heat, while the desired light product passes over to thecondenser, where it is liquefied and separated from the fixed gases.

It will be observed that, owing to the fact of the return to the actionof the heat of the heavy oil when it is nearly at the boiling-point, acomparatively small increase of temperature is necessary to break it up.This gives my process a great economical advantage over the formerpractice of successive plain redistillations, by which a further portionof thin oil has heretofore been obtained from heavy oils, as describedin the beginning of this specification.

The apparatus I prefer to use is figured in the annexed drawings, ofwhich Figure No. l is a plan View; Fig. No. 2, a front elevation; Fig.No. 3, horizontal section through dotted line :0 a:, Fig. No. 2; Fig.No. 4, horizontal section through dotted line 1 y, Fig. No. 2; Fig. No.5, transverse section through dotted line a; m,'Fig. No. 1;-Fig. No. 6,vertical longitudinal section through dotted line 3 y, Fig. No. 1.

Letter A represents a cast-iron still constructed with a removable lowersection for the purpose of convenient repair. The bottom of the still isheated by products of combustion supplied to the chamber B from thefire-box E, the arch E, with its piers and passages, serving to divideand distribute the products of combustion equably within the chamber B.

B is a short horizontal passage connecting the chamber B with the flue Bwhich is furnished with a damper, B, and connects with the chimney O.

D is an uptake opening out of the passage 13 and leading up to the flueD, which, passing around the sides of the still, connects with thechimney O by the passage D which is furnished with a damper, D \Vhen thedamper 13 1s closed and the damper D open, the products of combustionfrom the chamber B are forced to pass through the flue D, heating thesides of the stillon their way to the chimney. I use the flue D in thismanner in commencing a distillation. After the distillation hascommenced, I shut the damper D1 and open the damper B in the passage B",which connects the chamber B directly with the chimney.

Letters F F are two man-holes for removal of residue, provided with thecovers and fastenings.

Letter G is a filling-pipe provided with a stop-cock, (shown brokenoff,) but must be connected with a reservoir of unfinished oil.

Letter H is a funnel-pipe provided with a stop-cock, used also forfilling the still.

Letter I is a weighted safety-valve on the dome of the still, throughwhich Vapors can escape when. from any cause, the worm be comes choked.The stem of the valve isfitted to receive a slotted weight, andterminates in a ring-handle, by which it may be raised up and hooked onthe hook I when necessary to keep the passage open.

Letter J is a main or condensing pipe, connected with the safety-valveby the blow-oil pipe J. The condensable products escaping through thesafety-valve and saved in the main J flow out through the small pipe Jinto any suitable receiver, the fixed gases and vapors not condensedescaping through the dischargepipe J (shown broken oifi) but to becarried up through the roof of the building, or in any suitable manneraway from the vicinity of the still.

Letter K is a pipe connecting the wormcondenser with the still throughthe anglevalve L.

Letter M represents a vertical cast-iron chamber of cylindrical form,standing on the top of the brick-work casing of the still and near thestill. This chamber I call a separating chamber. It connects with thestill by the superior pipe N through the angle-valve 0, also by theinferior pipe P,which is furnished with a stopcock. The pipe Q, providedwith a stop-cock, connects the top part of the separating-chamber withthe worm-condenser through the pipe K. The separator is made in sectionsconnected by flanges .and screwbolts for the purpose of convenientlyincreasing or diminishing its capacity. The wormcondenser is situated ina water-tub, R, supplied with cool water from a force-pump or areservoir, by the inflow-pipe S, the surplus flowing out through thepipe T. The worm terminates in a small chamber, U, from the bottom ofwhich the liquid products escape through the sealed siphon-pipe V, thefixed gases passing up through the gas-pipe vV, (shown broken off,) butto be carried up through the roof or away from the vicinity of thestill. The gas-pipe W is furnished with a stop-cock, to be closed whennecessary, to blow steam through the chamberU and siphon V for thepurpose of removing obstructions or to cleanse them.

Letters (0, b, and 0 are steam-pipes. each provided with a suitableValve or stop-cock, connecting,respectively,with the dome of the still,the pipe K, and the pipe N, and by a branch coupling with a stealn-pipe,d, (shown broken off,)'but which must be connected with a steam boiler.

Letter 6 is a draw-cock used for the purpose completion of adistillation, and also after removal. of the residue, to prepare thestill, when hot, for the safe reception of a charge of oil by forcingsteam into the still in sufficient quantity to displace atmospheric air,as described in other Letters Patent of the United Y States to me.

WVhen the angle-valve L is shut and the stopcock in the pipe Q, whichconnects the separating-chamber with the pipe K, is closed, steam may beblown through the worm-condenser from the steam-pipe b, for the purposeof removing obstructions and cleansing the condenser. When theangle-valve O is shut and the stop-cock closed in pipe P and 'the pipeQopen, steam maybe blown through the separating-chamber and condenserfrom the steam-pipe C.

For the purpose of the process herein described, the direct connectionfrom the still to the worm-condenser through the angle-valve L' is keptclosed, to be opened when desirable to interrupt the process ofobtaining light thin oil from heavy oil, and to run over heavy oil. Inthat case the connections to and from the separating-chamber are to beclosed.

The operation of my process is as follows: The apparatus having beenarranged for the operation as above described, I place the substance tobe acted on in the still and gradually and continuously apply sufficientheat externally to initiate chemical changes,which results in breakingup or decomposing the substance acted on, forming light and heavyoilvapors, with comparatively small quantity of permanent gases, andwith accompanying de- KKAM A position of carbon in the still. The vaporsand gases pass through the superior pipe N upward into theseparating-chamber M. The separating-chamber being exposed externally tothe cooling influence of the atmosphere of the still-room, and heatedonly by the radiated heat from the top of the still and the incomingvapors and gases, a temperature comparatively higher or lower inproportion to the relative quantity of incoming vapor, but sufficientlybelow the boiling-point of the major portion of the heavier or higherboiling-point vapors to gradually liquefy them is maintained internally,and as they liquefy and'fall to the bottom of the separating-chamberthey are continuously returned to the still through the inferior pipe P.The lighter vapors and permanent gases gradually rise to the top of theseparator and pass on through. the pipe Q, to the worm-condenser, theliquid products passing out at V,tl1e gases escaping upward through thepipe XV.

From the above description it will be evident to those skilled in theart that the particular character of the distillate will depend on thedegree of rapidity with which the operation is conducted within suchlimits as it can be carried on at all in the above-described apparatus.If vapors are not formed with sufiicient rapidity and in sufficientquantity to keep the internal temperature of the sepa rator up to apoint about the boiling-point of the lighter vapors, they will, ofcourse, all coir dense and fall back in the still. If heat is applied soactively as to form vapors rapidly enough to keep the temperature nearlyup to about the boiling-point of the heavy vapors, a portion of themwill be forced over and condensed with the lighter vapors. Therefore theparticular degree of change resulting from any one operation will begoverned by the relative quantity and degree of heat applied.

It is not material in the practical working of my process to effect thedesired change in one operation, neither is it generally convenient orpractical to do so; but within the lim' its above mentioned the slowerthe operation is conducted the greater will be the change effected byone distillation.

During the necessary and commonly practiced processes of purifyinghydrocarbon illuminatingoils by treating them repeatedly with acids andcaustic alkalies, they are subjected to redistillation, which may beperformed by my process, and the operation of converting heavy oil intolight oil go on with the purification process, with which it does notinterfere.

When carrying on my process in this manner, after the purification iscompleted I prefor to distill over such portion of the purified oil aswill go over at below about 600 Fahrenheit, with the still arranged soas to have direct communication with the condenser through theangle-valve L, and with the separating-chamber cut off. This portionisthen fit for use. The remaining contents of the still are then runover through the separator, and, for reasons not necessary to mentionhere, being obvious to those skilled in the art, subjected to furthertreatment.

\Vhen crude oil is subjected directly to my process the light portion,generated simultaneously with the heavy bodies in the originalproduction of the crude oil by distilling coal or other substances,passes over until the temperature of the still rises above about 600Fahrenheit, when my process of breaking up the heavy bodies commences.The relative height of the separating-chamber is an important element inits proportion, because it favors separation of the vapor by differenceof specific gravity.

- The proportion, situation, and arrangement of the separating-chamberas figured in the drawings I consider best for a still such as shownwith a body or boiler of about seven feet in diameter. In a still ofsuch dimensions I carry on the operation at the rate of ten gallons perhour.

Although I prefer the apparatus herein described and figured, andconsider it best adapted to carry on my process rapidly and profitably,I will nevertheless use any form of apparatus or still in which I canpractically carry on my process.

The illuminatingoils resulting from my process, when purified andfinished as usual with illuminating oils heretofore manufactured fromthe lighter parts of the crude oils, do not differ materially from themin color or mobility; but owing, perhaps, to the greater proportionatequantity of paraffine in the source from which they are immediatelyderived, they possess greater illuminating-power. In the practicalmanufacture of these oils they may be beneficially mixed with otherlight oils; or when operating on crude oil the distillate of both lightand heavy parts may be suffered to run into the same cistern or otherreceiver.

By the use of my process above described the manufacturer can, by acomparatively LUTHER ATIVOOD.

Witnesses:

BRAIND. G. La'rmnn, F. O. TREADWELL, Jr.

